Yoesoef Olla

Olla, as he is known among his friends, began drawing and painting from an early age. Originally from Jakarta, he became interested in music before returning to the visual world of graffiti during his teenage years. Moving to Bali in 1999, Olla began airbrushing large scale, fluro-fantasy art for a year, before returning to the canvas. With Affandi, Basquiat and Cobra as his strongest influences, Olla’s current work shares a similar vein of uprising and rebellion. Using his own dictionary of symbols and imagery, Olla’s paintings confront the audience with global questions and dilemmas. He translates his ongoing personal experiences into a rich modern symbolism that transcends the boundaries of language, directly onto his canvases delivering a potent message. His more recent works reflect his deep mystical disposition superimposed in urban art expressionism. Not one to shy from controversy, Olla’s works raise both prevailing and profound issues and examine cultural, religious, and social historical “stereotypes” that have and continue to influence cultures and everyday life. Living in Bali with its constant and formidable social issues, Olla continues to paint and draw with a staunch imagination and with vivid expressive intent.

Solo Exhibitions:

2009 A Quaint Message, Xavier gallery, Belgium

2007 Long Roads, Artenco Gallery, Belgium

2006 Bintang, Gema Rimba Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2005 Street Life, Street Life Bar Retro & Gallery, Bali, Indonesia

Selected Group Exhibitions:

2015 Chronotope, Rich Stone Art & Design, Kerobokan, Bali

2013 Mythography: Now, Sudakara Art Space, Sanur, Bali, Indonesia

2012 Reposisi (kriya), Galeri Nasional, Jakarta, Indonesia

2012 Tour World by O’neill, Mantra Seminyak, Kuta, Bali, Indonesia

2012 Retreat, Gaya Art Space, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

2012 Olla & Anwar, Cornerstone Arts Gallery, Limassol

2011 Anomali, Festival Seni Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia

2010 Hyperlink, BIASA ArtSpace, Kuta. Bali, Indonesia

2009 Pulih Pilu, Surabaya Gallery, Surabaya, Indonesia

2009 IdTWO, BIASA ArtSpace, Kuta, bali, Indonesia

2009 Golden Box 3rd Edition, Jogja Gellery, Jogyakarta, Indonesia

2008 Art Fair Lille, Lille, France

2008 Naively Bali, Kebun Mimpi Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2008 Dialog Antar Generasi, Teras Seni Gallery, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

2007 JOS, Depijpere Gallery, Kvurne, Belgium

2007 A[R]TMOSHERE, Darga Gallery, Sanur, Bali, Indonesia

2007 Art Fair St’art, Strasbourg, France

2006 Art Fair Line Art, Belgium

2002 Bursa Lukisan, Community Artists, Bali, Indonesia

2001 Black & White, Bunga-Bunga, Bali, Indonesia